A-
1991
:ers
ise-
? to
ball
be-
? of
ttle
the
ev-
r to
For
r, it
hat
an-
ing
ime
ind
ises
en-
gue
rac
ing
line
gne
ma-
the
lost
2 of
It is
eer.
e of
>ell
ack
just
tor
nt I
tore
lent
ng that
dinner'
ants a
'Oppo-
i say,
. Heis-
in tak-
ist sea-
/as an-
vinner,
throw-
1 59 " 28
iawaii.
Bowl,
ar only
e game
nth se-
rs, and
Texas
i in his
icaling.
jnd his
to heal
er than
ill with
iks to a
t-lifting
inds to
6-foot
of 185
Detmer
iinds
ICB
Opinion
Wednesday, July 24,1991 The Battalion
Page 5 |
Guest Editorial
J America needs MIA hearings
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., plans to reopen old wounds by
having the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee conduct
hearings on the issue of Americans missing from the Vietnam
War. While the process may be painful, the hearings are nec-
I essary if the country is to ever heal completely.
| At least 2,273 servicemen are listed as missing in Indo
china. Over the past two decades, there have been uncon
firmed reports that some of these men have been seen alive.
Some reports have listed Americans as still being held pris-
I oner. ...
I Few can comprehend how it feels not to know whether a
, husband, father, brother or other relative really died more
than 20 years ago in the jungles of Southeast Asia or still is be
ing held prisoner.
The Foreign Relations subcommittee and other formal in-
I quiries can help find answers. ...
| The families of these missing servicemen are entitled to
I know what happened to them. Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Dallas, is
asking the Pentagon to open its file on reports of sightings of
missing servicemen. The Pentagon should comply.
Foreign students deserve hospitality
The Dallas Times Herald
Mail Call
The Battalion is interested in hearing from its readers and welcomes all letters to the
editor. Please include name, classification, address and phone number on all letters.
The editor reserves the right to edit letters for style and length. There is no guarantee
letters will appear. Letters may be brought to 216 Reed McDonald, sent to Campus
Mail Stop 1111 or can be faxed to 845-5408.
I B-CS cable viewers won
EDITOR:
I
I've been asked several times lately, "Who won the challenge between
TCA and MTV?" and the answer is simple.
The customers won.
Customers, regardless of their opinions about MTV, now have a better
deal than they had before.
At first glance, it may be difficult to see a difference between our cur
rent agreement with MTV and the old agreement. But there are very im
portant differences that relate directly to the central issue of this contro
versy — the one thing that people from both sides seem to agree on —
freedom of choice.
Prior to the non-renewal of the previous contract with MTV, TCA was
limited in how we could tell our customers they had the freedom to block
MTV from their homes if they wanted to. Granted, that wouldn't be all that
important to an MTV fan, but it might be very important to someone who
wasn't. Our experience and research have shown there was a large number
of people who were unhappy, or who simply avoided cable service alto
gether because they weren't aware of the choices available to them.
We don't mean to suggest that MTV doesn't have a place in the market
place; it is, in fact, present in millions of households worldwide. But if you
don't want your household to be one them, we feel you should be aware of
I that option.
It was never TCA's desire to drop MTV; it was our desire to allow cus
tomers to know that they could have a choice whether the channel was in
cluded as part of their basic cable lineup. Until provisions in the contract
could be modified, notification of this choice was not practical.
We weren't about to ignore one group of customers by simply renewing
an unacceptable contract. Neither were we about to ignore the other group
I by dropping MTV with no efforts to get it back where it was wanted.
The result of our stand: MTV will be back on in Bryan-College Station
next month for those who want it; customers not wanting to receive MTV
can conveniently pass on the channel if that is their wish. Everybody wins.
I We've already taken steps to advise our customers of their options, and
the same options will be explained to all new customers when they sign up
for service.
The MTV situation brought out opinions — strong opinions — on both
sides. We've taken a lot of heat over the past few weeks from our critics,
but those who supported our actions have been just as vocal and just as
I numerous. Both sides deserved a choice.
i The TCA-MTV battle has ended, and a winner has emerged. But it
wasn't MTV, and it wasnt' TCA.
It was you.
| Congratulations.
Randy Rogers
general manager of TCA Cable
i
Swimmers should follow rules
EDITOR:
So every day I go to swim in Cain Pool. I pay the dollar and use the
showers like the signs say. So I go to the locker rooms in DeWare Field-
house, and there is a whole mess of kids also preparing to use the pool.
These kids are all part of the YOU Program sponsored here at this world-
class University.
Now granted, what the program is doing is great, wonderful. Don't get
me wrong. I'm glad we can provide the University and its facilities to these
children. However, when someone is invited into your home, you expect
them to be courteous and smile.
These kids use the showers, like there supposed to, but so very often
they forget to turn them off. Numerous times I have turned off all eight
showers on one side of the locker room and found the other eight going on
the other side. I have even found them running an hour later when I am
done working out.
The point is that according to College Station water statistics, a ten-min
ute shower takes 55 gallons of water. Do the math and you find that for the
men's locker room for, say 30 minutes, all heads running, there were 1,320
gallons of water used. Now, I have a feeling that whatever fee was charged
to the YOU Camp did not include the wasting of water. Want to know who
probably gets the bill? That's right, we do.
Richard Szecsy '91
P
. JL icture the following scenario: an A&M
student is riding his bike across campus. It's 3 a.m. on Sun
day morning. He has just completed another 60-hour work
week and is heading home. In front of Sbisa, a car pulls up
next to him and three Aggies throw half-full bottles of beer
at him, call him names and pull off into the night.
What did this fellow Aggie do to deserve this type of
treatment? He happened to be bom in the "wrong" coun
try. He is one of the hundreds of international students
studying here.
Unfortunately, this scenario is not purely mythical. In
fact, there are very few foreign students here who have not
received some kind of "special treatment" by "hospitable"
es.
realize that many of you have never had any direct
contact with foreigners, and it's hard to find out much
about someone when you are just passing by and throwing
beer at them. So here are some very general statements
that apply for most foreign students at Texas A&M:
They do want to speak English better. I'll admit that
many times it's frustrating to work with people who don't
seem to speak English fluently. But when I consider that
English is a second, third or fourth language for some stu
dents, I wonder if I could do any better with their native
tongue.
Most foreign students have learned English in a class
room setting from teachers who were not born to English-
speaking parents. These students have no way of under
standing all the nuances and nonverbal communication
that is associated with the Texas dialect of English many of
us use.
They do want to learn American "ways of doing
things. "Through TV programs, movies and music, Ameri
can culture is the most widely distributed in the world.
Yet, foreign students can't learn everything about Ameri
can customs through those media. There are still many
questions about everything from dating customs to Ameri
can public opinion about the reunification of Korea.
No one wants to be considered an "odd ball." Foreign
students are no exception. Even if they choose to cling to
their own culture, they want to understand why we do
things the way we do, so they can adapt when they deal
with Americans.
They are the best and brightest of their respective
homelands. Furthermore, admission requirements for for
eign students are often more selective than those for Amer
ican students.
Many foreign students have progressed through the
most respected academic institutions in their own coun
tries before being selected for schooling here. THEY ARE
NOT STUPID!
Many foreign students have made great sacrifices to
study at A&M. This topic is inexhaustable. And I realize
that those of you who have never studied abroad can never
totally understand. But let me give an example.
I have a friend who came from an Asian country to pur
sue a degree at A&M. He left behind a good job, his native
land, his relatives and his wife and children. Because of the
high cost of international calls to his country, he primarily
relied on letters to keep in touch with his wife and family.
He had to prove his dedication and competency before the
organization sponsoring him would send his wife and chil
dren. After living here for nine months, his family has
flown here to be with him.
Why do I tell you my sob story? To prove the point that
Tim Truesdale
Columnist
there are many international students who need friends.
And there are many reasons to become friends with a for
eign student.
Some of the reasons are admittedly selfish:
The opportunity to experience another culture. This in
cludes everything from eating great food to listening to
funky music. Believe me. I've never met a foreign student
who wasn't willing to answer even stupid questions about
his country.
The opportunity to know someone who will be impor
tant. As I stated previously, most foreign students at A&M
constitute the brightest and best of the countries they are
from. Therefore, when they return with degrees from
America, they will likely be placed in key positions. In fact,
several current presidents of foreign countries graduated
from schools in the United States. You just might get to
know the future president of Korea or Egypt or Colombia
during your career at A&M.
There is a very disturbing negative side to this issue.
What if the guy you throw beer at happens to become the
president of Tanzania? He may appreciate his American
degree, but he might not appreciate Americans. And that
could have some serious implications on American foreign
relations.
Of course you don't have to be selfish to have an incen
tive to befriend foreigners. The Golden Rule says, "Do
unto others as you would have others do unto you." So
put yourself in the shoes of that late-night biker I referred
to.
How would you feel if you had left the United States to
pursue a degree in another country? You've left literally
everything and everybody behind. You feel clumsy with
the new language, and you're never sure if the laughter
you overhear is directed at your pronunciation or at a joke
you didn't quite understand.
I realize that most of you don't have the courage to em
bark on this kind of experience. But what kind of courage
does it take to throw beer at defenseless bikers?
Hopefully you'll have the courage to do at least one of
th following:
Quit treating foreigners worse than animals! This re
quires no effort at all. If you can't treat them well, then just
leave them alone.
Get to know foreign students in class, neighborhood,
etc. This shouldn't be all that difficult. Oftentimes they sit
alone or walk to their apartments wondering if anyone will
talk to them.
Get involved with groups that help Americans meet
foreigners with similar interests. For example. Interna
tional Student Services sponsors a Friendship Family Pro
gram which assigns new international students to Ameri
cans who want to help them get adjusted to life in the
United States
As Aggies, we are incredibly fortunate to be able to
meet people from all over the world without leaving home.
Let's take advantage of that opportunity while helping for
eign students feel a little less foreign.
Tim Truesdale is a graduate student in urban planning.
Help NASA identify the
black hole in space:
The
n
e
i-
it
g
?r
a
is
at
Dr
d t<
:rsia
lina
red ;
nam
isioi
ce ii
fr
[a
on
oar<
Mar
vot<
artic
>biar
spe
ith f
f al
I ha
wit!
lent;
arliei
tion:
peal
;endt
reasc
5 pei
tning
erna-
2r se
ct ar
.‘ring
0 pei
ntain
's en-
dimi-
illege
also
mild-
pres-
aiver-
nents
dean
State
liver-
Uni-
:ven a
to the
r," he
rspec-
•bably
ago,
nend-
>vem-
re re-
>vem-
like a
mer is
2 cus-
e its
Page 4